There is no denying the fact that governance at any level is a demanding business, as it requires integrity, energy and resourcefulness.
We have always emphasized on this page that anyone who does not feel up to a particular job, should have the good sense to refuse it, when it is offered to him or her.
To give the impression of competence, when you do not have what it takes to deliver good results, is to court disgrace and stigma.
We have over the years heard President Yahya Jammeh talk about discipline in the civil service, especially at workplaces.
This to us is of paramount importance, because we believe that we can never achieve our development aspirations without a disciplined workforce.
Without a disciplined workforce, the Vision 2020 blueprint and all other set targets that we always talk about in this country, such as the new PAGE, can never be realized.
Interestingly, it was not known for a very long time why senior government officials, especially those in cabinet, get booted out of office.
Most of them only get to know of their dismissal through a dismissal letter, without the public knowing the reason or reasons for their dismissal.
This lack of official explanation has always fueled all sorts of rumours - some derogatory some compassionate.
However, as the rumour spreads with excitement, in the wake of a dismissal, it is always difficult to know which version to believe, because those who are thrown out with the right hand are usually recalled with the left one, either to the same post or to something less glamorous.
This, however, seems to be changing, because in his interview with GRTS ahead of his inauguration for a fourth five-year term last Wednesday, President Yahya Jammeh’s tone seems to give most Gambians an insight as to why most civil servants lose their jobs now and again.
He identified the lack of commitment and lackadaisical attitude in work -places as the undoing of most top civil servants.
“You go to the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital (RVTH) or any hospital for that matter; what we thought was history is coming back and, that is, you go there and the nurses do not care. They sit chatting, and they are very rude! Or the doctors are nowhere to be seen, yet at the end of the day they are being paid salaries,” he said.
Specifically, the President then cited carelessness and bad attitude towards work as some of the reasons some people might have lost their jobs. In disclosing this information, the President was indirectly warning the rest of his Cabinet and the entire workforce in the civil service to guard against the twin evils of negligence and indiscipline.
Another point raised by President Jammeh, that needs serious attention, is the issue of camps or clubs in most sectors in this country.
We have always emphasized on this also. The issue of camps or clubs at any level will only retard development, and bring more harm than good to the development of not only one particular sector, but also the country in particular.
It is in this light that we urge the authorities to put in place every measure to discourage these so-called camps or clubs, as it brings about more division among civil servants.
Civil servants must work hand in hand with each other for the development of their respective ministries.
It is, therefore, up to all civil servants irrespective of posts to maintain discipline, and do at all times what is right.
“Discipline is the refining fire by which talent becomes ability.”
Roy L. Smith
